The Top 5 Mobile Resolutions Marketers Need to Make for 2011

Kony Solutions Predicts the Key Trends and Innovations Fortune 500s Should Leverage in the New Year

SAN MATEO, CA--(Marketwire - October 20, 2010) - The mobile marketplace is a moving target and for Fortune 500 organizations, getting a mobile offering right couldn't be more essential to building a successful brand. These companies have been in a frenzy to launch mobile offerings that capture the attention of consumers and keep them one step ahead of competitors. From identifying consumer's mobile needs to dealing with the onslaught of new mobile device introductions, CMOs and CIOs are pulled in too many directions and are often overwhelmed by the task of developing a successful mobile offering that reaches all consumers across all devices.

"The additional revenue potential in mobile applications for consumer brands is astronomical. With the variety of devices, operating systems, features and capabilities that brands face today, it's near impossible for a company to parse out what's going to make them successful in the space and give them the greatest bang for their mobile dollar," said Raj Koneru, CEO of Kony Solutions, Inc., the mobile application platform provider with Write Once, Run Everywhere technology, enabling applications to be designed and developed just once, in a device independent manner, and deployed across multiple channels, including on-device applications, mobile web, SMS, web gadgets, desktop applications, and tablets.

Koneru continued, "2011 provides brands with an opportunity to slow down and really strategize about their mobile portfolio, make the right investments and find the right partner that will help them to protect their investment and see solid return. With so many new innovations hitting the mobile market every day, it's essential for companies to understand which new features and trends will be most important to leverage in the New Year."

Drawing on extensive experience designing, developing, and maintaining mobile portfolios for Fortune 500 brands across a variety of industries and the entire breadth of mobile devices, operating systems and channels on the market today, Kony Solutions predicts the five key trends these companies need to leverage as part of their mobile offering in 2011.

1. Augmented Reality Meets ShoppingTo-date augmented reality applications have been focused on navigation programs, being used primarily to direct users to a location. In 2011, the mobile space will see more experimentation with augmented reality. Applications will begin to harness its power to engage consumers, offering incentivizing information on products in-store. Consumers will be able to hold their phone's camera up to a product and see discounts or coupons on the product layered over the real-life image.

2. Voice Is Key In SecurityA significant roadblock to consumer adoption of mobile wallet technologies has been consumers' concerns over the security of storing sensitive information on their mobile handsets. Developers have attempted to quiet these concerns by implementing protection features such as multi-factor authentication to their apps. In 2011, voice biometrics will emerge as the new standard for security. According to Citibank Australia CEO Roy Gori, using an individual's voiceprint for security purposes can be more accurate than any other means of identification, while also making obsolete the typical series of log-in passwords and questions for users resulting in increased ease-of-use and consequently, adoption.

3. Fence In Your CustomersIn the last year, many applications have leveraged location-based technologies to provide consumers with a more personalized experience. 2011 will take location-based applications to a new level with "geofencing," a feature which allows companies to set up geofences around designated areas. For example, a retailer could set up a geofence to enable them to provide opt-in users with personalized discounts and other incentives as soon as they enter the specified area.

4. 2011: The Year Of The TabletTablets burst onto the scene as somewhat of a novelty in 2010 with Apple's launch of the iPad. With consumer adoption of tablets expected to increase exponentially -- ABI research predicts the shipment of more than 11 million tablets in 2010 -- this new medium will continue to grow in importance for companies for brand recognition and additional revenue opportunities, especially across the media industry.

5. Keep Track Of Your InvestmentThis year the fast-paced evolution of the mobile industry has caused a frenzy among consumer-facing corporations, prompting them to launch their mobile offerings so as not to miss out on opportunities or beat out the competition. 2011 will provide these companies with an opportunity to step back and implement analytics capabilities, allowing companies an opportunity to understand consumer adoption and usage. As such, 2011 will see a rise in companies' use of vendors that offer a complete end-to-end solution, with cost-effective hosting and mobile platform support.

Keeping these trends and innovations in mind while planning for 2011 will help companies to create successful, competitive mobile offerings that capture consumer interest and increase revenue potential.

About Kony SolutionsKony Solutions enables Fortune 500 companies to offer consumers and employees feature-rich mobile applications in less time and at lower costs than any other solution available through the Kony Mobile Application Platform™. Leveraging a proprietary Write Once, Run Everywhere single application definition, applications are designed and developed just once, in a device independent manner, and deployed across multiple channels, including on-device applications, mobile web, SMS, web gadgets, desktop applications, and tablets. Kony's unique platform is proven to future proof a company's mobile investment by enabling applications to be changed once for all channels, ensuring faster adoption of new operating systems and standards as they are introduced, while eliminating maintenance, upgrade and future development costs. For more information, please visit www.konysolutions.com. Connect with Kony Solutions on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.